RWBY:KRME
by EpsilonPyro
Summary: An ex-assassin, a mischievous protector, an adventurous academic, and a unknowing outcast... These four make up team KRME, a group that has been brought together to be trained in order to protect the world of Remnant. Little do they know however, things won't be smooth while at Beacon Academy, for the forces of evil are beginning to move...Some of which involve our assassin.
1. Chapter 1

The night air was cold, the moon in its shattered phase, similar to the state of the of the world below. The city of Vale had become quiet from the usual bustle from the day and turned dark, desolate and foreboding. The majority of people still active in the streets were homeless or were undesirables looking to collect the next easy paycheck. Any businesses brave enough to stay open was always under the looming threat of being robbed. The grey and black buildings that made up the city were still, the occasional light in a window showed any signs of life that resided within.

Slowly emerging from one of the many cramped and eroding alleyways was a group of men in black suits, black pants and red colored glasses. Each had in possession either a single edged sword or an automatic rifle, ready to be used if the situation got messy.

"Well boys, who's ready to make some profits?"

The black suited men all turned towards the source of the question. The speaker was none other than the devious, cunning and highly wanted criminal Roman Torchwick. He wore a white suit vest with a red collar as well as a small grey scarf around his neck. He also wore black pants, black shoes and black gloves with rounded sleeves. His trademark item however was the black red banded bowler hat that sat atop of his bright orange hair.

"Yup, we're ready. Just say when." replied one of the thugs, clicking the safety off on his rifle.

"Excellent! Then let's get this show on the road people!" Torchwick sneered, spinning his grey-black cane round in his fingers. The smoke filled light from the cigar in his mouth lit up the features of his dark (almost non-existent) green eyes but his right eye was completely covered by the long bangs he had swept to that side of his face.

Torchwick and his lackeys started paving their way down the street towards a shop at the end of the road. The nearby residents veered away from the gang, as to not be involved into any conflicts. Tochwick smiled to himself as he strutted down the sidewalk, taking in the feelings of fear and intimidation he received from everyone he passed.

" _Ahh...I love it when I'm about to do something should go without a hitch and we all go home happy! Well, except for this poor fellow we'll be borrowing from_." Torchwick thought with a smirk as they closed in on the shop. He looked up to see the name " Nova Dust and Crystals" atop the grey brick building. A glass window was on each side of the door which showcased the valued items inside.

The group headed into the store, striding right up to the counter. A middle aged man stood behind a glass display, showing off a vast assortment of colorful crystals for sale. There were various tubes on the sides of the store that housed different types of Dust, as well as small shelves in the center of the floor holding separately packaged goods.

One of the henchmen raised his sword and positioned it at the base on the shopkeepers neck. The aging man raised his hands in the air, a look of pure terror painted across his ageing features.

"Alright then..." Torchwick began, slowly pacing back and forth in front of the counter with his head cast down, "Here's how its going to work: You're going to stand there and wait while my men siphon every bit of Dust out of this sleazy shop and you will inform no one of this event, or else we'll experience some...complications on the decision on keeping you alive. Understand?" Torchwick raised his head back up to meet the shopkeepers eyes, squinting his own while smirking, relishing the look of terror the old geezer gave.

"Y-yes sir." the man squeaked, sweat trickling down his face.

"Good! I'm glad you're so cooperative." Torchwick sneered. He turned around to face his grunts, "Grab the Dust. As quickly as possible if you don't mind, I got other business to attend to." The men in black gave each a nod and pulled out a small, black cylinder from their jackets. They connected them to the tubes filled with Dust and extracted every ounce capable, leaving the glass tubes dry and bare.

As they were doing that, Torchwick placed a grey briefcase onto the glass counter that displayed the Dust crystals. He opened the top and then pointed to the rare items that were before him.

"Put them in, every last one." Torchwick demanded. The shopkeeper whimpered helplessly as he was forced to load all of his valuable goods into the care of this thief, all his hard work slip away from his grasp in mere minutes.

Little by little, the once full, prospering Dust shop became empty and void of of its valuables.

"Pleasure doing business with you sir." said Torchwick, giving a mock bow as he and his underlings exited the building, leaving the broke and hopeless man to his devices. "Now, all of you start making your way to the Bullheads. It's just **bound** to get livelier around here."

Just as he said the words, Torchwick's hat came flying off his head by an unknown force.

There were mixed shouts of "What the heck!?" "What was that!?" and "Where'd it come from!?" from Torchwick's goons, who were all trying to locate the unidentified threat.

"Get a hold of yourself!" Torchwick barked, getting the attention of his inferiors. "You four, get to the aircraft! The rest of you, with me! We've got an idiot that wants to play hero." He bent over to acquire his hat off the ground. He was surprised to discover that the object that was lodged comfortably in his hat, right below the red band...was an arrow.

"Oh for the love of-"

"Sir! Up there!"

Torchwick turned quickly to face the other side of the street, and glanced upwards. Standing on the roof of one of the buildings, the fractured moon as the backdrop, was a silhouette of a person in a white hooded cape. The inside of said cape was a dark, almost crimson red and they had the hood up, as to conceal their identity. Not much was visible of their attire except the white boots with metal bands around the top and heel of the shoe and black, fingerless bracers on their arms, reaching almost their elbow. A long bow was being held in their right hand, eagerly waiting to be used again and a quiver that housed all of the apparitions arrows was slung across his back.

"Oh, so it's you again!" declared Torchwick, pulling out the arrow lodged in his bowler hat. "Nice shot by the way, a hair lower and you would've had me!" The hooded person remained silent, cape rippling the soft night breeze.

"Okay boys...why the pause?" Torchwick said, pointing to the ghostly apparition, "Get him!"

The remaining men aimed their rifles and unloaded a barrage of fast approaching bullets in hopes of killing the archer quickly.

As soon as the speeding metal balls came close to contact however, the person vanished somehow evaporating into thin air.

"W-what the? Wh-who is this guy?!" asked one of the goons, anxiety slowly creeping into his voice. He then spotted the figure now on the ground, running towards him at an incredible speed. His bow had disappeared and had been substituted for two single edged blades that were being "reverse gripped" in the persons hands. "Oh sh-" The thug began, firing his gun once again in hopes of killing his enemy. It was of no use however as the attacker managed to deflect all the bullets with his blades, slipping around behind him and knocked him upside the head with the blunt side of one of his swords, knocking him unconscious. Another thug drew out his own sword and rushed the attacker. The individual sidestepped the attack easily and executed a quick combo with the flat ends of the blades, finishing it with a forceful kick in the chest, cracking a few ribs. The last two thugs glanced at each other and rushed in with alternating attacks from gun and sword. The hooded man used his blinding speed and agility to close the distance between them, blocking and dodging any attack the grunts were able to create. Dropping, he then swept the rifleman's feet right out from under him. Using the hilt of one of the blades, he connected right in the middle of the roughnecks chest, knocking the air out of him while still he was still airborne. The last goon stood there dumbfounded and terrified, glancing around to see his associates lying on the cold pavement, all knocked out cold. The hooded assassin raised his head and the man got a clear look of his face. The assassins eyes were a deep green, focused and filled with murderous intent, which made his opponents blood run cold. His eyebrows furrowed, revealing his determined resolve. And his mouth was...straight, a hard line showing no signs of a frown or smile.

"Screw this! I'm out of here!" the last goon turned tail and sprinted as fast as his body would allow. He was a good hundred feet away before he felt a great pain in his back and blacked out. The man had shot an arrow tipped with explosion Dust, hitting him dead center between the shoulder blades from a hundred feet away. The man then turned his attention to Torchwick, arrow aimed at his head.

"Bravo! Bravo I must say!" Torchwick cheered in amusement, clapping his hands to give off a fake sense of respect to the individual, "I can see why you were her favorite to work with. You have such skill! It's too bad you decided to leave us, we could have used you!" The archer pulled back the bowstring, keeping his silent persona. Torchwick raised his hands up in the air, admitting that he was at a disadvantage. "Woah Woah! Settle down! No reason to get excited." He then heard off in the distance the sound of engines approaching his position. He gave a subtle smirk as to not give anything away.

" Well as much as much as I love chatting with you..." began Torchwick, and at that moment a small airship came roaring over the rooftops, letting down a rope ladder to which he grabbed onto. " ...I'm afraid I must make my exit. I must now bid you farewell." The airship started to turn, attempting a speedy getaway. The hooded archer let loose his arrow, setting it on a collision course with Torchwick's head. Before it hit its mark however, it was deflected by Tochwick's cane, and the arrow dropped back towards the earth.

The hooded assassin remained still as the airship flew further and further into the the night. He then sensed a unfamiliar presence behind him. He turned around in a flash, his bow back into two blades and on guard, but quickly relaxed when he saw who it was.

Standing there was a man in a black unzipped suit over a black buttoned vest and green undershirt with dark green pants. He had white gloves on his hands, black trouser shoes, a green scarf with a cross shaped pin attached around his neck. His skin was pale white and tousled grey hair and brown eyes glinted from behind shaded glasses. A straight, cane like object was in his right hand.

" That was quite the feat, young man. Your skills are truly amazing, especially at your age." the man said, taking small steps toward the other person, who still had his hood up.

"May we speak in private? I have a proposition for you." he continued, waiting patiently for a response.  
The hooded man gave a slight nod, putting his blades into his quiver. "Very well. follow me."

After a few minutes of walking they arrived in a small room in the backside of one of the many buildings that lined the street. Inside there was a small rectangular table with a chair on either side of it.

"Just relax and take a seat." Said the man in the suit, already sitting in a chair. The hooded man accepted and sat down.

" My name is Professor Ozpin." he began, " I am the headmaster of an academy called Beacon that trains young men and women to fight the evils of this world, known as Huntsman and Huntresses. Have you heard of it?" the hooded individual raised his head, showing off his deep green eyes. Ozpin had his attention.  
"May I ask who you are?"

The man gave a small nod and took off his hood, now revealing spiky white hair with bangs that almost touched the tip of his nose. He responded with only three words.

"Azure...Azure Knyte."

" I see. Well Azure, I must ask you some questions." said Ozpin. Azure stayed silent, waiting for the headmaster to speak.  
"Where did you learn to fight like that?"

"I was taught."

"By who?"

"Lots of different people." replied Azure, a tone of uneasiness lingered in his answer.

" Alright." said Ozpin, picking up on the fact that Azure wasn't comfortable to disclose the information " I was just curious. Next: Do you want to be a Huntsman?"

The white haired boy shifted his cape, revealing the white tunic and tan brown pants he had been hiding underneath his long garb.  
"Yes, I have been considering it for a while now."

" I see. Final question: Why do you want to become a Huntsman? Is it to slay monsters?" said Ozpin, his back resting in his chair.

Azure closed his eyes in consideration only opening them again when he was ready to give his answer.

"Well..." he began, "...I have a lot of unfinished business. I want redemption for the mistakes I've made. And..." Azure paused, pulling out a silver necklace with a small sapphire hanging from the chain. "I've got a promise to keep." He put the necklace around his neck, tucking it into his tunic. "To protect others and do what I think is right."

" I see. Well congratulations Azure! consider yourself enrolled at Beacon." said Ozpin, extending his hand to close the deal. Azure took it and gave it a quick shake, a look of shock and a bit of confusion on his face. Professor Ozpin smiled at the expression and explained his reasoning. "You have the physical talent and the right motivations in my eyes. You need not prove anything else to me."

"Thank you sir, I really appreciate this chance." Azure said gratefully, a small but appreciative smile on his lips.

"Not a problem. Now, the air transports leave tomorrow at ten o'clock, so don't be late." Azure nodded in understanding. "Good! from this point on you are a huntsman in training. Have a good night." The professor left the small room and closed the door behind him, leaving Azure alone.

"_So now it starts_." thought Azure, untucking the necklace from his shirt and placing it in one of his palms, watching as the lights danced off the polished surface of the sapphire, "_One life ends...and another begins._" Leaving the room, he merged into the night to prepare himself for his new life.


	2. Chapter 2

The morning sky was bright and clear. A group of eager students were waiting to board the giant aircraft to Beacon. Azure surveyed the group before him, analyzing the crowd of future classmates. He shifted the small pack he was carrying to ease the soreness in his shoulder. Closing his eyes, he listened to the random pieces of chatter of the crowd.

"-can you believe we're actually here?! I'm so excited!"

"-I can't wait to start training! I've worked sooo hard to get into Beacon-"

"-I wonder what the teachers will be like-"

"HEY! PASTY!"

Azure opened his eyes in surprise, senses kicking into high gear. The sea of bodies parted to reveal a boy with messy red hair who wore a black bomber jacket atop a white t-shirt and blue motorcycle jeans stomping towards him at a quick pace. Azure swore that he looked familiar but couldn't quite put his finger on why.

Pushing his way forward, the other boy unsheathed a double edged sword from the hanging green sash tied around his waist. He clicked a button on the hilt and the weapon extended into a bladed staff, his blue eyes dead set on Azure. Anticipating a fight, Azure began to reach behind him to into his quiver to draw out his own weapon. A feeling of deja vu was continuing to gnaw at the back of his head as he tried to identify the person.

"_Why do I feel I know him…" _thought Azure, staring hard at the red haired boy.

Azure continued to dig through his memory as the boy in the black jacket closed the distance between them, a look of shock and anger in the his eyes. Just as the boy was almost upon Azure, he dropped his weapon but continued to walk towards Azure. The cool expression on Azure's face broke as he finally recognised him, eyes wide with disbelief.

"_That hair...those eyes…he looks just like-" _Azure's thought was cut off by the crushing hug the boy gave him, cutting off his breathing. The other boy held him close, Azure's face being covered in the green bandana worn around his neck.

"Azure, where the **HELL** have you been?!"

Azure gasped and spluttered, still trapped in the bear hug. Then without warning found himself being dropped onto the ground, finally released from the tight embrace.

"I've spent the last nine years besting the finest my homeland has to offer only to find out that not a single one of them could fend me off as well or as long as you! Biggest waste of time ever."

Azure sat on the ground stupefied, still trying to process everything through the shock of what was happening.

Oblivious to Azure's shock, the boy's rant continued. "And once you disappeared there wasn't anyone worth talking to. Do you have any idea how long it's been since someone got one of my jokes?!"

_Yep. _Thought Azure with a small chuckle,_ It's __**definitely**__ him. _

Hearing his laugh, the peculiar boy looked around and then down, confused. " What are you doing down there?" He asked as he hauled him to his feet. "And why so quiet? You better not have forgotten me."

"No, I haven't forgotten. It's so good to see you Jad." replied Azure, now pulling Jad into another tight hug. After a while the embrace ended, both boys happy to see each other again.

"Good to know you still remember me. I was beginning to think you were dead." said Jad, punching Azure in the shoulder.

"Not yet. Still have things I need to do."

"Good to hear! I look forward to fighting with you again to see how well you've improved. Just so you know, you don't stand a chance this time around."

"Ha, sure. You realize we were eight when we last sparred, right?"

"And whose fault was that, hmmm?"

Azure lifted his hands in defeat. "Alright, you win. Let's get on the ship, everyone's boarding."

The boys gathered their things and merged with the line of passengers, waiting to enter the huge metallic transport that floated in the air over the cliff side.

" But seriously, Where have you been? I haven't seen you or your family since you vanished." Jad said, side glancing at Azure as they entered the ship.

Azure tensed up, he did **not** like this topic. "I've been on my own. As for my family...I don't know what happened to them. You know as much as I do about them."

Jad raised an eyebrow, suspicious of what Azure was hiding from him.

"C'mon, let's find a good spot before they're all gone." Azure walked ahead of Jad, keeping his eyes forward.

Jad looked at his friend with a puzzled look. "_Azure...what happened to you?"_

Now inside the aircraft, both boys made their way to the viewing gallery. It was a long hallway with four semicircular windows on the lateral areas so passengers could enjoy the view. Jad finally managed to catch up with Azure who was looking out one of the windows at the far end.

"Whoa, you're fast! I never knew you could slip away so easily."

Azure gave a bemused chuckle, "Natural talent of mine. So what have you been up to all these years besides fighting?"

Jad gave a giant smile, excitement burning in his blue eyes. "Oh man where to begin?! I finished the basic training that we both were doing. Then I dedicated myself to honing said skills to become a Huntsman while looking for you-seriously where were you?-and…" The recollection continued during the lift-off and all the way through the trip to Beacon. Azure stayed stayed silent the whole time, listening to the adventures that had happened during his absence.

When the transport docked near the academy, Jad finally stopped rambling and Azure had the chance to speak. "...And thats how I was accepted into Beacon. How did you get in?"

"I was invited by the Headmaster."

"Ozpin? THE Ozpin? You must have exceptional skill to be invited by him!"

Azure shrugged his shoulders as they made their way down from the dock and into the main avenue of the school. They both became filled with a sense of awe as they saw the facility itself. The main building looked like something out of a storybook, a giant castle-like structure with a steepled tower stationed in the center. A signal light was shining in the lookout, explaining how the school got the name "Beacon". The stone walkway stretched all the way to the main gate with a large garden surrounding it on all sides. There were smaller pavilions around the main building, probably used for dorms and the like.

"Ok then…" Jad began, a competitive smile on his face, "I'm going to go get us a spot for the opening ceremonies. Try to keep up!"

Azure just stood by as Jad sped off towards the entrance, shaking his head in amusement. _Well...Jad is just as excitable as ever. _He looked back at the academy, taking in the sheer amazement it inspired.

"Look out! Coming through!"

"Huh?" questioned Azure, turning around to see who gave the warning. When he did he was rammed by a fast approaching mass, sending him to the cold hard ground.

"Oof!" was all Azure managed to say as the air rushed out of his lungs and joined back into the atmosphere.

_Ow...That hurt._ thought Azure as he rubbed the back of his head to ease the pain. He stood up and waited for his vision to re-adjust itself. He looked down to see the person that ran into him, still sitting on the ground.

Settled on the cement and wincing in pain from the encounter, was a girl. She had ridiculously long auburn hair that was put in an equally preposterous braid and had amber colored eyes that stood out from her pale complexion. An array of books was scattered around her, indicating that she must have dropped them.

"You okay?" asked Azure, eyeing the new person more closely. She wore a green jacket with a red plaid scarf around her neck, white pants and brown boots. Bracers with long, spine-like attachments were securely placed on her forearms.

"Y-yeah...I'm alright." she mumbled, still dazed from the run-in. All of a sudden, a long reptilian tail came into view, surprising Azure greatly. He then looked behind her to find it was attached and that slender spines were protruding out of the back of her jacket.

_This girl's a faunus… _Azure thought privately, waiting for her to gather herself.

Now fully aware of her surroundings, the girl jumped to her feet in embarrassment, almost tripping over herself. "I am SO sorry! Are you okay? Oh my stars, I didn't mean to run into you, you aren't hurt right? I am so sorry!"

Azure waved his hand to dissuade her growing concern. "I'm fine. What's the hurry? We just got here." he waited patiently for the girl to compose herself.

"Well," she explained, brushing herself off, "if you aim to be early, you'll never be late!" she beamed at him, her enormous tail swishing back and forth.

"Uh huh...I see. Well, try to be more careful. I'd hate to see you run into someone who isn't so understanding, especially since you're a faunus." Azure looked down at her feet at the supplies scattered around her feet. "Here, let me help."

The girl bent to gather her things, accepting the books that Azure picked up for her. When they straightened up again, she cocked her head to the side and frowned ever so slightly. "People bump into each other all the time. Why should it matter if one of them happens to have a tail?"

"Lets just say I know how the real world is." said Azure, His eyes darkening over as he remembered a long suppressed memory.

_You can live or die, the choice is all yours._

_I hate you._

_Good. Feelings and emotions make you weak. Go again!_

Azure gave his head a quick shake and came back to reality. The girl made a mental note about how hurt he seemed during that short space out.

"Sorry, forget I said anything. My name's Azure, Azure Knyte. You are?" He asked as they both started walking to the grand entrance into Beacon, a pile of books in both their arms.

"I, uh, I'm Gayle. And…" She sighed, glancing at the ground. " trust me, I know how 'the real world is'. I was just hoping it wouldn't be much of an issue at such a respectable institution as Beacon." Gayle looked back up, smiling. "But you can't please everyone."

Azure cracked a faint smile though it quickly vanished. "Well Gayle, I am hoping that things are better here too. So, excited to be here?"

"Of course! How could I not be?!" She grinned. "I worked hard to get here a year earlier than most, and so far this is every bit as wonderful and awe-inspiring as I thought it would be!" They both entered through the gate and into a large grand assembly area, and Gayle was instantly captivated by it. Azure helped maneuver Gayle around the massing crowds, who was so distracted she almost bumped into some more people. Azure then finally spotted Jad, who was holding down a spot for him.

"Ok I've got to go. I'll see you around." Azure said, giving what he was carrying back to Gayle. He then left without letting her give a chance to respond.

Watching him leave, Gayle still gave a small wave as Azure joined up with Jad, letting a small smile show on her face. _"He's certainly...interesting"_

"About time you showed up!" Jad bantered, " I thought you got lost or something."

Taking the spot beside him, Azure looked at the platform before him. A stand alone microphone was placed in the middle, ready to be used. It wasn't long before Ozpin made his way towards the mike. The headmaster tapped the mic a few times to check it before giving his speech.

"I'll...keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you're finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy. In need of purpose...direction." There were looks of confusion and surprise from the crowd, this was not what they were expecting from the Professor. "You assume knowledge will free you of this but you're time at this school will prove that knowledge will only carry you so far. It is up to you...to take the first step."

As Ozpin departed from the stage, the crowd was deadly silent. He was soon replaced by a female teacher who had light blonde hair and light green eyes.

_Glynda Goodwitch if I recall. _deducted Azure, remembering seeing her as a hologram onboard the ship who welcomed them to the institute.

"You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow your initiation begins. Be ready. You're dismissed." She then followed in the direction Ozpin had gone, leaving the students with their thoughts.

"Well that was...interesting." Jad pondered, who was puzzled. "It was like he wasn't completely there."

Azure nodded in agreement, something **was** off. He didn't dwell on it long though, and turned back towards the entrance. "Come on, let's go find our stuff and get to the ballroom."

"Sounds like a plan!" agreed Jad, following his silent friend.

The rest of the day went by slowly and the night came rolling in at a snails pace, which annoyed Jad to no end. He had changed into a pair of black and green sleeping pants with pictures of motorbikes on them, but had no shirt on. He looked over at Azure who was off by himself laying on his sleeping bag, wearing a black t-shirt and grey sweatpants. Jad made his way over to Azure's corner and set up his own space. Azure sat up to acknowledge he was still awake.

Satisfied with his set up, Jad got comfortable on top of his sleeping bag. "Sooo…Can I ask you something?"

Azure looked at his friend, a quizzical look in his eyes. "What is it?"

"Well I'm kinda bored. Do you mind if I go into your bag and see what you have? Just curious."

Azure pondered the question a bit. He then shrugged his shoulders in indifference. "Just put everything back where you found it."

Jad nodded and began exploring Azure's bag. Azure closed his eyes, settling back into the comfortable position he was in earlier. He could hear Jad going through his belongings and wondered what he could possibly be looking for.

"Saaay...What have we here?" Asked Jad, pulling a necklace from the bag. He flashed a mischievous glance. "I didn't know you wore girly jewelry."

Azure's eyes flew open and sat up in a flash. "Don't touch that! You'll lose it!" he demanded, reaching over to snatch it out of Jad's hands. However, Jad was expecting this and held it out of Azure's reach.

"What?" Jad questioned innocently. "I just want to look at it." A playful smile was plastered on his face, obviously eager to continue his little game of "keep away".

Pouncing onto his friend, Azure attempted to overpower him and regain his possession. The boys wrestled across the ballroom floor, all the while Jad still retaining the necklace. During their scrap, however, Azure managed to knock the jewelry out of Jad's hand. It flew into the air and landed on the wooden floor with a soft _*clink*_.

It took a moment for either party to realize that the object of importance was missing. Azure was the first to notice that the necklace had vanished and hastily looked around the immediate area, frantically hoping that he hadn't lost his most prized possession.

"Wh-where is it?" Azure stuttered, "No, no, no, no, no! I can't lose it!" He searched madly, but couldn't find any trace of his keepsake.

"Hey! is this yours?"

Azure looked up to find a stranger holding the sapphire carefully. Wordlessly he nodded and reached out for the necklace, and the young woman placed the stone in his hand gently with a smile.

"How did you find it?" Asked Azure, looking over the piece of jewellery to make sure there was no damage.

The girl's smile widened a little, revealing a pair of narrow fangs in place of flat canine teeth. "I heard it fall." She replied, pointing to the set of fox ears on her head that Azure hadn't noticed before.

His prize returned to him, Azure got to his feet and got a good look at the woman in front of him. The fox ears screamed she was a faunus, but unlike most she didn't seem self-conscious or cautious about it. If anything the girl was proud of her heritage, from what he could tell. She had changed into her sleepwear, which happened to be a onesie with a fox tail and a hood with holes for the ears. The getup was somewhat...amusing, if not unusual.

One of the newcomer's ears twitched, drawing Azure's gaze back to her head and face. Cascades of rusty orange hair tumbled to the girls lower back, the sides pulled back so they wouldn't impede her vision. A pair of astonishing green eyes peered out from underneath her bangs, shockingly bright against the pale skin of the stranger's face.

"It's a very nice necklace. I can see why you'd be afraid to lose it." The girl's musical voice broke into Azure's thoughts, and he shook his head to clear it. Seeming to remember her manners, she offered her hand. "I'm Rember, Rember Autumn."

Tucking the necklace away, Azure glanced at Rember's slender hand for a moment before shaking it. "Azure Knyte." He introduced curtly, quickly breaking the handshake.

"So whats your first day at Beacon been like? I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this wasn't it. This place is amazing!"

Azure glanced at the faunus girl. He thought about speaking to her more but elected to give a short response. He really wasn't in the mood for talk. "It's been fine."

Rember's smile faded, replaced with an expression of concerned curiosity that made Azure angrier than it should have. "Thank you for returning my necklace." Azure said abruptly, " I appreciate it."

Her smile returning, Rember nodded her head. "No problem!" she replied. "I'm glad I could help you. Good night!" With a small wave, the strange girl turned and made her way back to her own pile of belongings not far away.

Azure watched with keen interest as Rember settled into her own sleeping bag. He took in a deep breath and let it back out slowly, calming himself almost immediately. He mentally kicked himself for letting his emotions run away with him, especially when Rember gave him that look..._That _look he knew all too well.

"Dude...she was totally into you." Jad teased, nudging Azure's ribs and waggling his eyebrows.

Azure rolled his eyes irritably in response, "Yeah, sure she was." He replied, sarcasm dripping from every word. "Look I'm going to sleep alright? Goodnight." He then purposely laid down with his back to Jad, silently conveying he had no desire to chat. Jad only simply shrugged his shoulders and got himself settled, taking Azure's hint.

As soon as Jad was asleep, Azure pulled out his necklace, a sad smile appearing on his face. "_That girl…_" Thought Azure as he reminisced about Rember. "_...She reminds me of her…_" He closed his hand around the gem and let his eyelids flutter shut, his smile still etched on his face.


	3. Chapter 3

Rays of sunlight came filtering through the tall glass windows, stirring everyone in the ballroom. Awakening from her peaceful slumber, a girl with disheveled, rose pink hair rubbed her purple eyes open. She gave a loud and long yawn while she waited for her eyesight to adjust. Just as her vision returned, she was greeted by a familiar face who just happened to be...staring right at her.

"GOOOOOD MORNING ROSEY!" A cheery voice exclaimed, a wide smile plastered across the speaker's face.

The pink haired girl gave a warm smile and nodded her head. "Morning Sonara. Got enough sleep I take it?"

"Boy, did I ever! I'm sooooo ready for today! Lookout world, super duper Sonara and radical Rosey are ready to kick some butt!"

"Nice to know you're ready. But remember, you can just call me Rosalie." she giggled, watching Sonara "shadow box" the empty space between them, the jagged layers of Sonara's dull brown hair swished from side to side, hiding her sky blue eyes beneath her bangs.

"So why you still in your pajamjams? C'mon! Let's go!" Sonara dragged Rosalie out of her sleeping bag, the latter only half-heartedly trying to free herself from her hyperactive friend.

"Why the rush? It's still really early. At least let me get ready and eat something." Rosalie yawned, standing upright and dusting off her pink and blue nightgown. She saw that Sonara was already decked out in her combat gear; a jade green chang pao, grey-green pants and white knee-high laced boots.

"I can't sleep any longer! So let's go! Get ready!" Rosalie barely had enough time to grab her gear before being pushed hastily towards the girl change rooms, smiling at Sonara's excitement all the while .

Azure was woken up from the racket, and watched groggily as the two friends exited the ballroom. He sat up slowly to prevent the head rush he was prone to getting and looked over at Jad. Unsurprisingly, he was still fast asleep and snoring something fierce. Without making a sound Azure slipped out of his sleeping bag, grabbed his gear and made his way softly towards the men's showers. Jād remained fast asleep, not even twitching.

After a relaxing shower, Azure made his way to the dining hall. As he entered the large room he was impressed at it's grand size. There were four long tables running the length of the hall with some students scattered along them, eating quietly. Grabbing a plate of pancakes, Azure started searching for a seat. He spied Rember, then Gayle, and then the two girls who had woken him, except Rosalie was no longer in her nightgown. Rosalie now wore her combat gear, which consisted of a long-sleeved cerulean shirt beneath a pink and purple vest, a salmon colored pareo was wrapped around her waist, and teal cuff boots covered her feet. Her long hair was no longer wild and messy having been pulled back into a tight braid.

Opting out of social interactions, Azure found an empty spot at one of the tables. There was no one close to where he sat, which he was totally fine with as he just wanted to eat. Just as he began, someone sat down opposite him. Azure sighed inwardly as he looked up to see who this new person was.

The first thing he noticed about the girl was a pair of dark red eyes peering through the layers of her bangs. Silvery blue laid against her back in a straight sheet with a single curled lock resting on each side of her heart shaped face. She had long-sleeved grey shirt on beneath a silver breastplate and there was a black cape secured around her slim neck. Cool grey pants covered her legs, and black boots with a series of buckles attached and white details protected her feet.

"Hey there." The girl said, an impish smile on her face. " Do you mind if I sit here?"

Azure raised a questioning eyebrow. Something about her tone didn't sit well with him. Nevertheless, he gave a small nod. There wasn't a good enough reason to say that she couldn't, so he turned his attention back to his food. The silver haired girl just continued to sit there, staring at Azure intensely. Sensing that she wasn't doing anything, Azure looked back up at girl. "Something you want?"

"Aww, you want to talk to me! How _sweet_!" She giggled, giving Azure a sly wink. "I'm just joking around. So what's your name?"

_But I don't want to talk to you. _Azure thought to himself, a twinge of irritation crossing his face. "It's Azure."

"That's a nice name! I'm Valerie, I'm pleased to meet you." She extended her hand towards Azure, and he gave it a quick, but soft shake. Breaking the contact, Azure tried to return to his food, only to be interrupted by Valerie again. "So you excited to get assigned into teams today?"

"Huh?"

"Teams. We all get teammates for the initiation and stuff."

"Not really."

"Aww, why not?"

"Reasons."

Valerie made a playful pouty face at Azure's evasiveness. _Boy, this is fun! _she thought, _And he's cute, which makes it even better! _she smiled to herself, quietly giggling at his agitation. "Ok then, but its going to happen."

Azure rolled his eyes and sighed to himself in annoyance. _Yeah, _he thought,_ 'cause I'm sooo looking forward to that._

Just at that particular moment, Jad placed his own plate of pancakes and bacon down beside Azure. "Morning Pasty! Looking gorgeous today." Grinning lopsidedly.

"Morning." Azure sighed, rubbing his temples. Realizing that he had little time left to eat, Azure scarfed down his remaining breakfast as fast as he could manage. It was over in a manner of minutes, and Jad and Valerie watched him in fascination as he ate the last of his food.

"Whoa, easy there. You could get sick." Jad stated with an amused chuckle as Azure cleaned up his area and got to his feet.

"I'll be fine." Azure said, rolling his eyes at Jad's remark. He turned his attention back at Valerie, who still sat there eyeing him. "Nice talking to you."

Valerie's smile widened, her red eyes glinting with content, "Pleasure's all mine. I hope we can get to know each other more!" She watched as Azure left the table. _He's so dreamy and mysterious...I really hope he's on my team. That would be so awesome! _

As she continued to daydream, Jad cleared his throat to grab her attention. "So…" he began idly, "How's it going?"

Valerie snapped out of her fantasies and looked at Jad. "Oh...It's, ah, going well! Thanks for asking. I don't believe I know your name?"

"Jad. Jad Eclipse." he stated with a proud smile. "That's jade with no "E". And you are?"

"I'm Valerie. Valerie Ashe. That would be ash _with _an "E"." Just then, an idea popped into Valerie's head. "Hey...are you friends with Azure?"

"I am indeed milady."

_Yes! Lets see what I can find out. _Valerie smiled to herself, this was just too perfect. She decided to keep up her "innocent curiosity" act. "Could you tell me more about him? He didn't talk a whole bunch."

Jad shrugged his shoulders apologetically, "Sorry, can't say much. Haven't seen him for a long time, and he's pretty much the opposite of what I remember."

"Oh. Well...that's alright. Thanks anyway." said Valerie, smiling at Jad. However, she was slightly annoyed at coming to a dead end. _Drat! I must've jinxed it._

"I can however, answer questions you have about me. If you want." Jad replied nonchalantly.

"Alright then…" said Valerie, pondering what she would ask him while trying to appear interested. "...What is your favorite thing to do?"

Jad's eyes lit up with enthusiasm and he gave an enormous smile. "Motorcycles." He stated excitedly, " I **love** to ride Motorcycles."

"Really?" Valerie questioned with genuine interest, laying her chin on the backsides of her hands. " That's super cool! Do have your own?"

"Oh boy, do I! She's so pretty. It's so hard for me not being able to bring her with me here." Jad stated as he reminisced about his vehicle. Glancing slyly at Valerie, he smirked at her. "You wanna ride sometime?"

Azure slowly let out a long breath. He wasn't used to such talkative people. No, check that, he wasn't used to people in general. Jad was alright, he just needed to get used to him after being apart for so long. Valerie was... just plain odd, why was she so curious about him? It wasn't like he was that interesting. He didn't quite have an opinion on either Rember or Gayle, he only briefly talked to them once, but both seemed nice enough. At least they weren't as pushy in trying to talk to him, which was nice.

Clearing his mind of thought, Azure entered the school's unisex locker room. He walked over to locker 144 were his weapons and extra gear were kept. Opening said locker, Azure strapped two small, silver, triangular pauldrons on each of his tunics sleeves and tightened the straps so they wouldn't slide. He slung his quiver across his back and put his blades inside. As he got prepped, yet _another_ new face decided to appear beside him. Glancing over discreetly, Azure analyzed the new individual.

It was a girl. Not very tall, with a pale complexion, wavy white hair that styled into a bob, and sharp green eyes. She wore a white laced up shirt, light grey leather pants, light brown knee high boots and a white cloak with a black inside. The girl didn't seem to notice she was being observed, a grumpy frown painted across her face.

_Geez, meeting all sorts of people recently. _Azure thought to himself, focusing back at his own belongings.

"Can I help you?"

Azure looked back at the girl, giving a surprised look at her unexpected question. "What?"

Not even stopping to focus on Azure, she continued. "Well, You were looking at me. So what do you want?" the girl asked impatiently, a slight edge in her tone.

"Nothing. I didn't want anything." Azure replied. This girl really was in a sour mood. "And you are…?"

"Kyra, not that it's any of your business." Kyra answered, placing a gold circlet on her forehead and attaching two double-edged blades to her wrists. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got better things to do than waste time talking to you." Without another word, Kyra closed her locker and left the room, leaving Azure with a puzzled expression as he tried to figure out what had just transpired.

"Well, that was certainly interesting. I wonder what her problem is." Azure snapped out of his stupor to see Rember standing in front of him, watching curiously as Kyra walked hastily towards the exit. She gave a small wave and a warm smile as Azure made eye contact with her, her fangs peeking out of the corners of her mouth.

Azure let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding, and shrugged slightly. After composing himself, he reached back into his locker and pulled out his necklace, putting it around his neck. He realized that Rember had her battle gear on, which contrasted greatly with her sleepwear. She wore a black top with sleeves cut at the elbow and two grey leather straps crisscrossing from her shoulders and across her chest, black pants with two similar grey leather straps crisscrossing across her hips and waist, and black leather knee high boots. Her weapons, which appeared to be two clawed whips, were securely placed in holsters on her hips. Compared to her previous outfit, Rember's hair shone brightly against the dark colors of her attire, almost like the hair itself were made of fire.

Realizing he hadn't saying anything, Azure cleared his throat. " I don't know. Could be a lack of sleep."

"Meh, who knows?" Said Rember. Spying at Azure's necklace, she bent down a little to get a better look at the gem. Azure wanted to move away from the faunus, but he stayed put. "So I couldn't help but notice your attachment to this necklace last night. Did it belong to someone?"

Azure's eyes widened, but gave a small nod in response. Tucking it into the inside of his tunic, he waited for Rember to straighten up before talking. "Yeah, it did."

"I'm so sorry." Rember replied sincerely, "You don't have to say anything else. I know what that's like." She pulled her own necklace out from beneath her shirt. It was rather plain, nothing more than a blue-grey stone on a leather string. After holding it out for a few seconds, she let it fall back into its place. "It was my sister's. She was only a kid."

After a moments pause, the static feed of the school PDA made itself known, grabbing everyone's attention.

"_Would all first year students report to Beacon cliff for initiation? Again, all first year students report to Beacon cliff immediately."_

_"_Guess that's our cue. C'mon, let's get moving. Azure, right?" Rember said, gesturing with her hand for Azure to follow. With a simple nod of his head, Azure followed the faunus out of the locker room and towards their initiation.

The trek to the cliffs was easy enough. All the initiates watched as the landscape around them changed from the lush, shiny and pretty gardens of the school grounds, to a more rugged and untamed plain of the clifftop. Headmaster Ozpin and Glynda Goodwitch stood at the edge and off to the side, calmly waiting for the students to arrive.

"Each of you please pick a platform to stand on and wait for further instructions. Again, everyone please choose a platform." Glynda evenly stated and the students did what they were told, quickly finding their own spot.

Azure analyzed the setup before him. Grey squares were placed in a neat line at the edge of the cliff, the symbol of Beacon etched into each of them. Finding one still open, Azure stood on top of the small platform and looked up and down the line. Jad was a few spots to his left and Rember was to his immediate right, each showing signs of anticipation and excitement in each of their faces. He then saw Gayle further down the line to his left, but was too far away to see how she felt. She seemed to have a different outfit on compared to yesterday, and Azure assumed that it was Gayle's actual combat gear. Before he could scope out any others he might know, Glynda and Ozpin casually strolled to the center of the line to address the initiates. Ozpin cleared his throat deliberately to get everyone's attention. Almost instantaneously, all of the students focused their eyes on the headmaster, ready to learn their objective.

"For years you have trained to become warriors, and today your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest." Ozpin began. The tension was thick enough to be cut with a knife as each of the initiates peered at the seemingly endless sea of foliage, not even a shred of earth could be seen for miles.

"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of 'teams'." Glynda stated, obviously aware of said rumors. "Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates...**today.**"

_Huh, guess what Valerie said turned out to be true. Joy. _Thought Azure, crossing his arms and nodding his head in understanding. He then heard someone, a girl in a black and red dress with a red hood at the far right of the line, gripe to herself about the new information.

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with with whom you can work well." Continued Ozpin. The girl in the red hood continued to groan, clearly not eager about getting teammates. "That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."

Azure almost winced at the loud, mixed reaction of the group.

"**Whaaaat?!"**

**"**See? I told you-!"

"Better find a good partner..."

"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest." Ozpin said calmly, re directing everyone's attention back on him. "You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path... or you **will **die."

That last statement clearly made a few of the students uneasy, but Azure wasn't fazed. Glancing over at Rember, Azure saw that she was only half paying attention. Her green eyes searched the horizon curiously and she was singing under her breath.

"You will be monitored and graded through the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. You will guard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?" Ozpin said, concluding the explanation. A boy with light blond hair hesitantly raised his hand, but Ozpin didn't seem to notice. "Good! Now, take your positions."

All of the students did as they were instructed and held their own stance atop their platform, with the exception of the blond boy, who still had his hand raised.

Suddenly, the first student at the far left was launched from their platform and went soaring through the air towards the dense forest below.

_They're catapults... _ Azure realized, adrenaline now seeping into his veins. Drawing out his blades, he went back into his running position and waited for his turn. Closing his eyes, he listened to the rhythmic sound of the catapults launching.

"Hey, Azure." Azure opened his eyes and looked at Rember, who wore a confident expression on her face."I'll see you around. Try not to get killed, alright?" Rember said, looking directly at him.

A bit surprised, Azure nodded and smiled faintly. "Same to you."

With that, the mechanics in Azure's platform activated, vaulting him into the morning sky and towards the Emerald Forest.


End file.
